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Good Question: A Green Way to Get Rid of Cat Pee?

6_10_2008-catpee1.jpgRemember Friday's post, where we were wondering how to convince a landlord to pay for green paint?

If you'll excuse the mixed metaphor: we've got bigger fish to fry.

Olfactory evidence and the odd stray at the door suggests our new rental in Berkeley recently functioned as a commune... of the feline sort.

 
 

In other words, it reeks of cat pee. Yuck.

We're dousing everything with Nature's Miracle, which seems to be doing the trick, but it seems every time we find a corner the smell awaits. It even stinks behind the fridge. Yuck, yuck, yuck.


What's the answer? We're just about to buy the black light mentioned in the comments to the post above. If that doesn't work, it's on to Plan B: incineration. Not very green, we know, but at least the smell would be gone.

All kidding aside: has anyone found a green way to deal with this problem?

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Good Questions, smell, cat pee, urine

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Comments (19)

Vinegar can neutralize cat urine. You can put some in a spray bottle and soak the spots.
You can also spread aquarium charcoal on the spot, cover and leave for a couple of days. It will absorb smells.
Do you have carpet? Whatever you are using, you need to get it all the way down to the carpet pad or you will not kill the smell.
A black light really does work to find the pee spots, but your room needs to be really dark.
Good luck!

posted by AMC on 2008-06-10 15:42:08
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i have heard that you can burn coffee beans in a skillet and that it neutralizes the odor in the air. i would think that everything would have to be cleaned, though, and natures miracle is the best thing i have found for that.

posted by anb on 2008-06-10 18:44:34
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My husband and I use this product from cottonbabies.com. Although, it is used to get the odors out of diapers, we use it around the house, on the garbage can and ecspecially on the cats litter boxes! It works wonders!

http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?products_id=1229

posted by stormykat on 2008-06-10 21:24:10
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Well, for pee on fabric, I've used Bac-Out in the washer with good success, really good success. Unfortunately for our carpet, not so. One of our cats was secretly peeing on our son's soft climber, and the pee leaked down into the carpet. We are recarpeting the entire house now because no matter what we cannot get rid of the smell. It's that deep. The new pad is supposed to be great for animal accidents... We'll see.

posted by genxmom on 2008-06-10 23:34:24
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With Nature's Miracle or any enzyme cleaner, it gets worse before it gets better. As the enzymes do their thing, the stink will intensify, and then as they finish their work (or run out of steam, which sometimes happens) the smell will fade. That's why they are perfumed so heavily, but I don't think it helps much. I've had a product called AntiIckyPoo recommended to me over Nature's Miracle, but have not tried it.

In a week or two after the NM is done, a thorough going-over with a Rug Doctor or similar extracting carpet cleaner (you want something that's going to pull water out pretty hard) should make a pretty good dent in the smell.

posted by Lyn Never on 2008-06-11 09:20:50
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If the cat pee has soaked all the way through the carpet and pad into the subfloor the only thing that will kill the smell is to rip out the carpet and padding and put several coats of a good primer/sealer on the wood to seal in the smell OR cut out the section of subfloor and replace it.

Cat pee is evil, evil stuff.

posted by Monica on 2008-06-11 10:52:38
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"Cat pee is evil, evil stuff."

Amen, sister.

posted by Rndrc on 2008-06-11 22:37:21
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Just Nature's Miracle, and for some surfaces it has to be put on more than once. It's really the only thing.

posted by Miss Mabel on 2008-06-12 05:14:36
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I use Nature's Miracle but needed to expand my technique because my little dog can smell anywhere a hair ball has landed and likes to put a little urine on top of the spot. I do clean up the cat puke but he must have a SUPER nose.

WHAT I DO: On Carpet Saturate the area with NM, really pour in on to soak into the pad. Then cover the spot with a folded towel to prolong the drying process to give those little enzymes time to do their deed.

posted by Alice on 2008-06-12 10:38:58
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Monica has a great point. To add to that there are carpet cleaners that will take your wall to wall goods off-site and clean them. If you cannot afford to replace the carpet you can have it cleaned and just replace the pad. The sub-floor is another issue, but you could just replace sections of it.

posted by SBDesign on 2008-06-12 14:05:38
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"Cat pee is evil, evil stuff."

Super duper ditto.

posted by kdkaboom on 2008-06-12 14:06:06
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First I mop my floors with a vinegar and water solution, then with clean water. After that I sprinkle baking soda (arm & hammer has a pet odor one that smells very fresh) on the floor to further absorb any smell and on any furniture that's near.

If its in carpet, chances are it'll have to be replaced.

If you have a cat and don't want it to feel the need to also begin peeing in those areas, put aluminum foil over the areas. Anything that will make a startling noise if they try to walk on it will deter any further marking

posted by rvalexa on 2008-06-12 14:38:39
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Use Borax!!!!

It is the miracle cat pee remover....i am serious. i have 2 neutered male cats who occasionally duke-out-what is left of their testosterone which means a puddle of piss (usually on my clothes.....). I used to spend tons of money on Nature's Miracle, but discovered Borax is soooooo much better and cheaper!

I have not used it on carpet and heard that you need to vacuum it off before your cats walk on the area that had borax....but for clothes, its awesome. give it a try. it only costs about $5 for a box and its a great natural cleaner for your home.

posted by richarddsf on 2008-06-12 15:06:51
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I've had many problems with evil cat pee. What has worked best for me (even better than "non-green" solutions) is to liberally sprinkle baking soda on the area and then pour vinegar on top of it. It fizzes and then you can sort of work it into the fibers. Then rinse and repeat the process. I've used this on a vintage Prada tote that my cat had peed on repeatedly as well as on an antique quilt and other fabrics. I've not used it on carpet so you may need to repeat it several times until it soaks down into the padding. Good luck.

posted by jixichick on 2008-06-12 15:31:14
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What I have learned over the years having a 17 year old male dog right now and two other dogs during and before is Nature's Miracle is not good. NM smells like ammonia, pee smells like ammonia so the dog/cat keeps repeating the peeing on the same spot you cleaned with NM because ammonia smells like pee which makes it inviting. Nature's Miracle has done a great marketing job.

Best is as mentioned baking soda, vinegar and add lemon juice to the mix. Always best to clean up right away. Also, watch the sodium in your pet's foods which often makes them drink more water or the may have a kidney issue.

posted by LoriSF on 2008-06-12 20:24:34
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I just saw a counter top appliance on amazon that reportedly superoxygenates tap water to be a sanitizing, deodorizing, super-cleaning miracle. The water reverts to normal water after 15 minutes and no chemicals are used. It is more powerful than bleach and can be used on anything regular water can be used on. It also can be used to sanitize your produce, meat, fish, baby bottles, whatever, and helps remove pesticides. It's called the Lotus. Can you tell I'm excited, mine will be here to try out tomorrow! Good luck, I'll post tomorrow if anyone wants to know if it works on the flor tile my cat had an accident on (poor thing had bladder stones).

posted by annessa on 2008-06-13 01:37:28
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Highly dubious, if you ask me. Ozone (which is what is puportedly contained in the water after they "superoxygenate" it) does have anti-bacterial properties, you can use it to clean pools, but it's in no way "more powerful than bleach" and the claim that it helps remove pesticides seems completely unfounded.

posted by Rebekkap on 2008-06-13 03:06:36
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Use borax, vinegar, lemon juice and and hot water. Cheap, simple,effective.

posted by 007fan on 2008-06-14 08:22:20
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Borax, vinegar, lemon juice, Nature's Miracle, etc. may work on carpet and on new stains, but if you've got old stains on wood or in your walls, THEY WON'T WORK!!! We inherited a funky cat pee smell when we bought our house. The owner seemed to let his cats use a closet as a litter box. We had to tear out the hardwood floor in the closet and gave every solution it's own chance for months. We would apply, dry, scrub, sand, and reapply...NOTHING WORKED!!! Finally, we shellacked the subflooring and the walls with several coats. Then, we applied shellac-based primer on the walls. We covered the subfloor with plywood and shellacked it. Then we put down new carpet. Now, we have no cat pee smell. On wood, you have to seal off the odor. There are professionals out there who get rid of cat pee for around $500. They seal it off...you can't get rid of it once it has burned the wood. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, SAVE YOURSELF SOME MONEY, AND BUY SOME SHELLAC. It has a potent smell, but it's actually a natural substance.

posted by natalie Daily on 2008-06-18 22:19:00
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